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Questions tagged [32-vs-64-bit]

For questions about the differences between 32-bit and 64-bit processors and software and associated compatibility issues. Do not also add the individual [32-bit] and [64-bit] tags.

This tag is intended for questions about the differences between 32-bit and 64-bit processors and software, as well as compatibility issues that can occur as a result of these differences.

Generally, 64-bit processors can run 32-bit software but not vice versa. The ability to run 64-bit software, however, requires not only a 64-bit processor, but also a 64-bit operating system; a 32-bit version of Windows running on a 64-bit processor cannot run 64-bit applications. On the other hand, some 64-bit Linux distributions may not be able to run certain 32-bit applications because they lack 32-bit versions of the required libraries.

85 questions
519
votes
32 answers

How to check if a binary is 32- or 64-bit on Windows?

Is there an easy way to check if a binary is 32- or 64-bit on Windows? I need to check before I move the program to a 32-bit machine and experience a spectacular failure.
Septagram
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107
votes
4 answers

How do I remove all i386 architecture packages from my Debian installation?

I added foreign architecture i386 to my Debian amd64 installation. How do I remove it? When I try this command: dpkg --remove-architecture i386, I am told to first remove all i386 packages.
kevinarpe
  • 4,048
40
votes
10 answers

Should I install 64-bit versions of operating systems?

With the release of Windows 7 coming up, 64-bit operating systems have caught my attention. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of installing 64-bit Windows 7? What type of compatibility issues will I face and would i have to install…
Josh Hunt
  • 21,369
9
votes
5 answers

How to check whether my OS is 64-bit or 32-bit?

What is the best way to determine whether my OS is 64-bit or 32-bit ? Assume that, I directly on some os & I am going to install a software on it. But how to determine, whether OS is 32-bit or 64-bit, OS may be anything, like windows…
sagarkothari
  • 5,085
7
votes
1 answer

Is a product key for 32 bit Windows compatible for 64-bit Windows?

Background information: I own a reasonably good computer which is capable of running a 64 bit operating system. It came installed with Windows 7, which I wiped quite a while ago, and installed Windows 8 Pro when it came out. However, for some dumb…
angussidney
  • 393
6
votes
3 answers

Is there a way to completely eliminate any 32-bit support on a 64-bit windows?

I want to completely disable the whole syswow64. My goal is to make it impossible to run any 32-bit application, or load any 32-bit DLL on a 64-bit windows system. Similarly to the old 16-bit Windows applications, which can be emulated on some old…
peterh
  • 2,782
6
votes
3 answers

How do I install Citrix ICA Client (Receiver) 13 on Debian 64-bit Linux?

The Citrix ICA Client (Receiver) 13 has many i386 dependencies, so I cannot install on my amd64 (64-bit) Debian Linux. How can I make this work?
kevinarpe
  • 4,048
6
votes
2 answers

Why does windows 7 64bit require more disk space/ram

Why does windows 7 64bit require more disk space and more RAM? http://windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements is where I got the information.
agz
  • 8,438
5
votes
1 answer

Can a 32-bit antivirus program protect you from 64-bit threats

I think that 32-bit programs cannot look inside 64-bit processes. So I am asking this question out of curiosity. I am using Windows 7 x64. I do not know about the bitness of the antivirus except that it is installed in C:\Program Files (x86).
Salman Arshad
  • 1,780
5
votes
4 answers

What's the difference between 64-bit and 32-bit dxdiag?

I'm doing some logging and noticed that on 64-bit platforms I can use the /64bit switch to run 64-bit dxdiag. I assume there must be some reason for doing this, namely additional functionality in the 64-bit version (or incorrect/insufficient…
user59659
4
votes
1 answer

How to install 32 bit Iceweasel/Firefox and Java plugin so that webex audio works on Debian 64 bit?

Colleagues would like to communicate in a videoconference using Cisco Webex. This requires the Java plugin for Firefox/Iceweasel. Based on this blog, I installed the web browser plugin based on OpenJDK 7 and IcedTea: apt-get install…
Paul Rougieux
  • 177
4
votes
5 answers

Why are there 32-bit editions of Windows 8?

64-bit CPUs have been around for about 10 years now, maybe more. Most computers have such CPUs (I don't think 32-bit CPUs are even manufactured anymore). And there are a lot of computers that have more than 4GB of RAM (especially in the consumer…
Radu Murzea
  • 327
4
votes
1 answer

How do I know if my Linux system can run both ELF 32-bit and ELF 64-bit binaries?

It appears that I can run both ELF 32-bit and ELF 64-bit binaries on my Linux host. I am running on pretty vanilla Linux boxes (Intel hardware, RedHat 64-bit kernel, etc.) How is that possible? Is there a test to know this is possible on each…
kevinarpe
  • 4,048
3
votes
0 answers

Why 32-bit installation of R is available in 64-bit machines?

I wanted to know why, when you install R for Windows on a x64 machine, it lets you choose between installing 64-bit,32-bit, or both. I don't understand why would you want to install 32-bit version of R. Maybe it's for backwards compatibility, I'm…
Geiser
  • 131
3
votes
1 answer

How can I register a (32-bit) COM DLL as a COM+ application

I heard that you can register a 32 COM server DLL in COM+ so it will be executed as local server instead of an in-process server. This solves a 64/32 bit issue, it would be possible to access the 32-bit COM DLL in a 64 bit CScript host. How do I…
harper
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